Greetings!
I type this from our house in Naples! We arrived this past Monday, October 19th and it's great to be home! Today's post will cover the last 10 days of our trip and then we'll do a recap post next week.
We arrived in Bentonville, Arkansas and were blessed with beautiful weather the entire 5 nights / 4 days we were there. Bentonville is where Walmart started and the Walton fortune has been generously shared with this community - it is a beautiful town with a great vibe and we enjoyed every minute!
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| One more state line crossed! |
Our first day we went to one of Bentonville's crown jewels - Crystal Bridges. This is a spectacular art museum founded by Alice Walton, daughter of Sam Walton (founder of Walmart). It is incredible inside and out and offers an amazing collection of American Art . . . and admission is free for all.
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| There are multiple walking trails with beautiful sculptures surrounding the museum - we were blessed with a beautiful day. |
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Dale Chihuly glass which can be enjoyed from inside or out.
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| So many cool outdoor sculptures and all so different . . . |
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| They moved a Frank Lloyd Wright House onto the grounds - the Bachman-Wilson house is a beautiful representation of Wright's work and so cool to be part of this museum. |
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| We stopped for a coffee and a snack - even their dining areas were so pretty with huge windows to the outside courtyards and gardens. |
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| This exhibit is called an Infinity Mirrored room designed by artist Yayoi Kusama - it's a very small space and they allow only 2 people in it at once for 1 minute. It was so cool. |
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| Loved this heart hanging from the ceiling in one of the dining areas. It's hard to tell in this photo, but it's about 10 feet wide. |
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| The museum from above - such an incredible complex |
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| This is the parking garage - even that was beautiful. And parking is also free. |
Crystal Bridges is about a half mile from Bentonville Square, which is in the heart of downtown and site of the first Walmart store - Walton Five and Dime. There is a lovely walking path between the two.
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| Here is the first Walmart Store and is now the Walmart Museum - very interesting and also free admission. That is a replica of Sam Walton's truck (the actual one is inside) |
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| They had a display about returns and they were quite humorous. The explanation for this one: "This air rifle's listed reason for return reads simply: 'Dad bought for son. Son shot sister. Mom got mad. Dad returned.'" |
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| The downtown was so pretty and beautifully landscaped. |
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| It's hard to see in this photo, but this car is covered in US coins - the Five and Dime car. |
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| Lots of art structures along the path as well. |
The next day, we got together with friends Deena and Bob. I was connected to Deena - also in the event industry - through another industry friend/colleague. Deena and Bob have lived in Bentonville for about 5 years (moving from California) and absolutely love the area. They were tremendous hosts as we explored their favorite places.
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| First stop - Bentonville Farmers Market - and it did not disappoint - we found lots of great goodies and fresh produce and it was a very large market. |
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| Next Stop - Pea Ridge National Military Park (about 30 minutes from Bentonville) - site of the Battle of Pea Ridge during the Civil War fought March 7 and 8, 1962. There was a great Visitor Center with an informative movie and then we drove around the battlefields, which are some of the most well preserved from the Civil War. |
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| Viewing the battlefields was quite moving as you imagined the war between Americans being fought here. |
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| Our excellent hosts - Deena and Bob! |
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| These 2 stone monuments reflect the long-lasting grief - and the hopes - of the generation of Americans who survived the Civil War. In 1914, veterans began the call to preserve the battlefield as sacred ground. Finally in 1956, President Eisenhower signed the law to create the National Military Park. In 1889, there was a reunion which included veterans from both armies and their marble monument (the one closest) "A United Soldiery" honored both "the untarnished Blue" and "the unsullied Grey." |
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| This is Elkhorn Tavern which was the center of the conflict. It changed hands during the 2-day fight - serving as a Union supply camp, headquarters, field hospital, and a brief headquarters for Confederate General Earl Van Dorn. |
After lunch, we visited the Mildred Cooper Memorial Chapel, located in Bella Vista - just north of Bentonville - and also very close to our campground. Beautiful architecture with so many windows and natural light.
The next day we went about an hour east of Bentonville to Eureka Springs whose downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded in the late 19th century as a booming spa town centered around its alpine mineral springs, Eureka Springs has evolved into an eclectic mountain town tucked into the steep hillsides of the Ozarks.
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| Just outside of Eureka Springs is the Thorncrown Chapel, which is another beautiful building similar to the Cooper Chapel in Bella Vista. Built in 1980, it was designed by E. Fay Jones who apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright. |
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| Again - so many windows and beautiful natural light among the trees |
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| The downtown was filled with funky stuff - including this bicycle sculpture! |
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| Lots of eclectic stores - it reminded me a bit of Salem, MA as there are lots of Halloween-themed stores and a history of haunted buildings. |
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| Christ of the Ozarks could be seen from downtown Eureka Springs - built in 1966 and stands 65.5 feet tall |
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| Close by is a piece of the Berlin Wall |
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| Going over the Beaver Bridge heading back to Bentonville |
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| Our campsite was in the middle of a park with lots of bike and hiking trails. The campground was basically a parking lot, but the location was great and the facilities were nice. |
On our last day in Bentonville, we ran some errands, did laundry, and reset for the next leg of the trip. It was hard to believe we would be home within the week. We left Arkansas after a very fun visit and headed east to Tennessee.
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| As soon as we crossed over to Tennessee, we stopped at an iconic Bass Pro Shop located in Memphis just off the highway. |
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| Called the Pyramid - it's quite the store! |
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| With the highways above us - it was time to get back on and keep going! |
We spent the night in Holladay, TN for a quick stop and got up the next morning with Dandridge, TN (about 4.5 hours east of Knoxville) as our destination. We were very excited to see our Airstream friends Rich and Nancy who we had met at the Cumberland Gap Rally in 2025. After being fulltime in their Airstream for just over a year, they bought a new home in Dandridge and had been there for just over 2 weeks when we visited. We stayed in their driveway and were their first official visitors and it was so exciting to see their beautiful house - we are so happy for them.
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| Rich and Nancy's backyard overlooking a beautiful lake and a perfect spot already there for their Airstream! |
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| So nice to reconnect with our friends! |
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| A beautiful sunset |
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| The next morning getting ready to go to Cumberland Gap for the rally once again! |
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| The guys discussing our strategy for the day! |
After a wonderful home-cooked dinner and a fabulous morning shower, it was time to head back to Cumberland Gap - about an hour and fifteen minute drive.
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| Rich and Nancy in front of us - it was a beautiful drive |
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| Back on the main street of downtown Cumberland Gap - we did this rally in 2025 and it was so great to be back. |
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| The next morning - beautiful view of "the gap" as the fog started to clear. |
On the first full day of the rally, we had the opportunity to participate in two really cool tours. The first one was a tour of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel. This 4,000 foot tunnel is fascinating in that it's on National Park land on the Tennessee / Kentucky state line, so there are 3 entities involved. The tunnel is 30 years old this year and it was built to make the drive safer through this very mountainous area. The original steep and winding road ran through the town of Cumberland Gap - so once the tunnel was built, the town lost a lot of visitors and business as people didn't need to go through the town anymore. But the Tunnel was well received by the area community as it made travel so much easier and safer.
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| We all met in the employee parking area - a very cool cloud formation above |
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| From the rooftop! |
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| There were 22 of us total on the tour - it was really interesting. |
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| We got to stand inside the tunnel too - pretty cool |
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| It was a fascinating tour - it was pretty incredible all the systems and logistics behind such a short, but mighty tunnel! |
After the tunnel tour, we headed to the nearby town of New Tazewell to tour the England Furniture factory who are owned by La-Z-Boy furniture. We toured the sewing and assembly plant and it was really interesting. The facility spans nearly three football fields in length and features 27 separate assembly lines. They produce 1,400 pieces of furniture daily including sofas, love seats, recliners, chairs, ottomans and sleepers. England Furniture employs 1,400 people - making it one of the region's largest employers.
It was really interesting to hear about all of the materials and how they are cut and sewn and produced - a good mix of technology and talented labor. It takes about 9 months to train as a seamstress.
The weather was a bit manic during the weekend. When we arrived on Thursday, it was in the mid-80's and sunny. On Friday, a front came through in the afternoon and the weather dropped to the 60's. By Saturday, it was a high of 56 degrees and pretty dreary, but we still had a great time! Paul took out the drone and got some cool shots of the Airstreams in town.
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| Ours is the first one on the right with the blue rug. There were 24 Airstreams total in attendance. |
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| Lots of historic brick buildings along the street with charming shops and restaurants. |
We thoroughly enjoyed our second rally in the Cumberland Gap. It was great to spend time with Rich and Nancy and also meet many more fun people. We really feel so blessed to be part of the Airstream community.
Early Sunday morning, we departed Cumberland Gap - it was a balmy 37 degrees . . . brrrrr! It was time to go home, so we drove two long days staying in Tifton, GA on Sunday night - and made it home to Naples late Monday afternoon.
It's great to be home and we are so grateful for another amazing journey across this wonderful country! We will do another post next week with a recap, but I'll tease you with this photo of the stickers on our Airstream door showing all the cool places we have been during the last two summers.
Thanks again for following along and for your enduring love and support! XO, Jen & Paul
